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James Paul Gee has quipped that we shouldn't approach games and learning as covering broccoli with chocolate - using games to engage kids in unappetizing topics and activities. At its best, Minecraft creates more superfood smoothies than chocolate covered broccoli, a blender of entertainment and education into a tasty experience both nutritious and delicious. This symposium features snappy dialog and debate between leading Minecraft and learning educators, technologists and researchers. The focus is on tough problems in practice in using Minecraft to connect in and out of school learning, and stories from the trenches in the classroom and at the front lines of innovation in technology and program development.

Moderated by Mizuko Ito, director of the Connected Learning Lab, the symposium features Deirdre Quarnstrom and Meenoo Rami from the Minecraft Education team and researchers and Minecraft educators Michael Dezuanni, Paul Davarsi, Seann Dikkers, and Katie Salen.

Paul Darvasi is an educator, game designer, speaker, and writer whose work looks at the intersection of games, culture and learning. He teaches English and media studies in Toronto, Canada and is a doctoral candidate at York University. His research explores how commercial video games... Read More →

I research the everyday uses of digital media in home, school and community contexts. I am interested in equity in digital contexts, particularly questions of digital inclusion; and how children and young people learn on digital platforms like Minecraft and YouTube.

Meenoo Rami, author of Thrive, is a national board certified teacher who taught students English in Philadelphia for ten years, at the Science Leadership Academy and in other public schools in the city. The founder of #engchat, an international Twitter chat for English teachers, Meenoo... Read More →